Professor Katie Allen

Professor Katie Allen is a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Medical Science graduate of Monash University, an Enterprise Professor at The University of Melbourne and a commercialisation consultant at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Professor Allen is on the leadership advisory board of the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute at Monash University, on the advisory board for AdraCard and is an Ambassador for Eating Disorders Families Australia. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science.

Prior to that, she was Division Head of Population Health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Professor at both The University of Melbourne and the University of Manchester, UK and a consultant paediatrician. She has authored more than 400 scientific publications and was founder of the Vitality trial that aims to understand whether low Vitamin D in babies leads to food allergy.

Professor Allen’s leadership in food allergy research has significantly shaped the field, establishing Australia as a global leader. Through two consecutive NHMRC-funded Centres of Research Excellence - with a 3rd recently funded – Professor Allen’s research program has united clinicians, researchers and those living with allergy nationally to deliver groundbreaking discoveries and transformative interventions.

These efforts have led to the development and global adoption of new guidelines, preventive strategies, and innovative treatments that have profoundly impacted clinical practice, policy, and public health. From pioneering the world’s first population-based study of childhood food allergy (Healthnuts) to leading international guidelines on infant feeding and food allergy management in schools and by manufacturers, Professor Allen’s research program has redefined the landscape of food allergy research and care, benefiting millions of individuals worldwide.

This broad evidence base provided a significant foundation for the National Allergy Council and National Allergy Centre of Excellence which Professor Allen advocated for during her time as a Federal Member of Parliament (2019 to 2022). As the Member for Higgins, she delivered the Higgins Headspace, the Cabrini Cancer Research Centre and funding for Victoria’s first residential eating disorder unit in Higgins. She helped establish the COVID Health and Research Committee that met weekly through the pandemic and brought together more than 86 health and research experts from across Australia to ensure the Federal Government’s response was evidence-based and expert-informed. She was central to the Coalition government adopting support for a 2050 net zero target and was known for standing up for matters of conscience in parliament.

Professor Allen has been on the board of Cabrini Health and on the advisory board of several MedTech start-ups. She was Chair of Melbourne Girls Grammar School Council (2014 to 2019) and was President of the Merton Hall Foundation (2022 to 2025).

Professor Allen is married with four children. Two of her children are current medical students at Monash University - Jemima (PhD Monash, current 5th year medicine student) and Arabella (current Bachelor of Medical Science student).